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Ahead of Wednesday's anticipated iPad 3 announcement from Apple, reports are surfacing this morning that iPad 3 cases are already inbound to Best Buy retail locations around the country. Although it isn't a surprise that one of Apple's largest retail partners will be carrying the device and its accessories, the bigger news is the timing of it all.

For several days now we've been hearing chatter about Apple possibly making the iPad 3 available for purchase within 24 hours of the announcement, if not the same day. With iPad 3 case shipments allegedly arriving already, it would seem most unusual that a lengthy lag time will exist between Wednesday's announcement and the market availability of the third-generation tablet.

According to a Best Buy tipster speaking with PhoneArena, boxes tagged: "Do not display until official iPad 3 launch," are already turning up at some Best Buy stores. "The shipment is not of just a few cases — there's over 1,000 Targus Versavu 360 stands for the next-gen iPad shipping to Best Buy, meaning that it won't be long until the actual tablet hits shelves."

With changes to the iPad's aesthetics and design not widely anticipated, it's unlikely that any premature look at an iPad 3 case will reveal many clues about the new features of the iPad 3. For now, we will simply have to remain patient and wait for all the glorious details as they emerge Wednesday, when Apple kicks off its media event at 10:00 a.m. PST, 1:00 p.m. EST.